Wicketkeeping Uncovered

The Devon Youth Cricket Foundation arranged a 4 hour workshop run by ex-England ‘keeper and current Notts captain Chris Read.  Chris didn’t charge to deliver this session meaning it was free for coaches across Devon – a great opportunity.  Chris delivers the wicketkeeping aspect of the ECB Level 4 coaching programme so for a lowly level 2 coach like myself this was a chance not  to be missed.

There were 4 Devon age group wicketkeepers present who Chris used to demonstrate drills and practices and who we observed and analysed.  They coped well with the scrutiny of 30 coaches pulling apart their game, and Chris managed this well so that they had positive feedback upon which to work.

Standing Back

The first part of the workshop involved looking at the 4 ‘keepers stances including foot position and catching area presented.  There was discussion and comparison and the key points I picked out were as follows:

• Make the catching area as large as possible.  Some ‘keepers have little fingers overlapping, some don’t – personal preference.  Keeping the elbows together naturally enlarges the area presented.
• The hands must be relaxed.
• The hands are positioned so that the ‘keeper can see them whilst tracking the ball into them (obvious really!).
• The “power position” is dynamic and therefore cannot be held for extended periods.  The ‘keeper should be in this position as the bowler releases the ball.  How they achieve this is unimportant.
• The posture will vary by individual but there needs to be balance and the ability to explode from this position – something akin to a Z made between back, thighs and lower leg.  Weight on balls of feet.
• Whilst stability is important, there must be a balance with mobility.  A very wide stance is very stable but makes lateral movement difficult to initiate.

The wicketkeeper’s alignment was next explored.  The basic “rule” is to have the ‘keepers inside foot on off stump.  Simply put, Chris demonstrated with the aid of a piece of string how this position will change based on the bowler’s delivery position at the crease, and the way they are shaping the ball.  The majority of dismissals for ‘keepers standing back are outside edges so the key is to position yourself so you can take both an outside edge and a missed ball without needing to make directional changes and without having to move more than is necessary.

The diagram shows the difference is alignment required for bowler coming wide of the crease vs one coming tight and swinging the ball away

 

Chris next put the ‘keepers though a series of warm up drills and practices

• Ladder based drills.
• Lateral squatting and bounding activities over and under barriers.
• Chasse and catch routine from side to side
• One handed catches each side of the body – should aim to go with two so hands work together where possible.  There is a part of the hand which, as the ball hits, naturally forces the hand to close around the ball.
• Taking the ball thrown underarm – initially straight, and then with footwork.

Three types of dive were explored:

1. Roll dive – ball above shin height, catch is made and ‘keeper rolls to land on inside shoulder to avoid jolting ball out of hands when landing.
2. Slide dive – for lower catches when there isn’t time to roll.  ‘Keeper slides hands under the ball and slides along the ground.
3. Scoop dive – for ball falling short, ‘keeper scoops a hand under the ball, rotating in opposite direction to the roll dive.

For me, the key here was what Chris said to one of the ‘keepers: “You’ll probably do it anyway” suggesting that the actual dive is fairly natural as long as the preparatory footwork and positioning is correct.

 

Standing Up

Again we looked at the ‘keepers stance and concluded that as long as it works and is comfortable then its OK!

The key difference to me here seemed to be the idea of keeping the inside foot anchored so that the ‘keeper can return the ball to the stumps for a stumping should the chance arise.  Working across a straight line rather than the old “K” method keeps the stumps within reach.  I felt that the hands were more important than the feet when standing up as the base is more static (not totally) and the hands go with the ball.  For wider takes, the bio-mechanics of the feet skipping across to shift balance so the hands can return to the stumps was discussed.

Leg side takes – the batter blocks the view so the wicketkeeper must watch the ball as long as possible and move as late as possible.  Again there were 2 methods shown:

1. Hands going across to the line of the ball first so the head and eyes stay still for longer
2. Inside foot going across first so that hands and head can follow together.  The ‘keepers demonstrated both variations with good success.

Summary

There was lots of very technical information and discussion.  I hope we as coaches don’t now bombard our ‘keepers, but use this to assess what they do naturally and work within that.  As with batting and bowling cloning someone else who is successful wont necessarily work!